Beyonce becomes first Black woman to helm top country songs chart

BY AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Feb 23, 2024 10:28 AM

  

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AT A GLANCE

• Her song "Texas Hold 'Em" dropped smack in the middle of the Super Bowl earlier this month, and has debuted on the Billboard charts on the number one slot of "Hot Country Songs."

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Beyonce (AFP) 

NEW YORK (AFP) - Ahead of the release of her album that's set to take the country music scene by storm, Beyonce this week became the first Black woman to top the US charts in that genre.

Her song "Texas Hold 'Em" dropped smack in the middle of the Super Bowl earlier this month, and has debuted on the Billboard charts on the number one slot of "Hot Country Songs."

A second single, "16 Carriages," is also on that chart, clocking in at number nine.

"Prior to the triumph for 'Texas Hold 'Em,' no Black woman, or female known to be biracial, had previously topped" that chart, said industry tracker Billboard.

Country is a quintessentially American style of music with influences from Africa: the banjo notably grew out of instruments brought to the United States by enslaved people in the 1600s and 1700s.

And yet on the surface contemporary country has developed an overwhelmingly white image.

The issue came to a head in recent years when Lil Nas X soared to viral fame with his infectious, record-breaking "Old Town Road," a single that mashed banjo twangs with thumping bass and dominated the industry's most closely watched singles chart in 2019. 

Controversy famously stoked the artist's rise to fame after Billboard removed the fusion novelty song from the country charts but left it on the rap list, triggering accusations that the Atlanta musician's work was pigeonholed purely because he is Black.

The tension simultaneously offered a moment to spotlight the vast contributions of Black artists to country both past and present, including today's stars like Mickey Guyton and Brittney Spencer.

Beyonce's new studio album, her eighth, is for release March 29, and as of now is characterized simply as "Act II."

"Act I" refers to the 42-year-old's album "Renaissance," an ode to disco and house which reigned over the summer of 2022 as it paid homage to the Black, queer and working-class communities that molded the electronic dance genre, which first developed in Chicago in the 1980s.

She now appears primed to take a similar approach to country, reclaiming it as an emblem of Black American history. 

THE STANDS: An INQUIRER Sports Newsletter

 

February 23, 2024

Tim Cone begins his tour of duty as full-time head coach of Gilas Pilipinas.  (DENISON REY A. DALUPANG)

Hey there sports fan, Did you know there's an age imit imposed on boxers who want to compete in the Olympics? Do you know what it is? Clue: It's the reason Manny Pacquiao was denied a special exemption to suit up for the country in the Paris Games   Make a guess. We'll give the answer later (If you're curious, yes, Pacquiao has accepted that his Olympic dream is over). Meanwhile, Gilas Pilipinas began its Tim Cone era on the right foot, pounding out a 94-64 victory over host Hong Kong in a Fiba Asia Cup qualifying window. The win was pretty much guaranteed.  Even Cone said so: “[Hong Kong is] a team that we should handle. If we don’t, then we probably shouldn’t be here. It’s going to be a terrible shock for all of us if we don’t. The bottom line is that this isn’t the level of teams that we’ll be playing all the time.” We have a guy on the ground in Hong Kong, Mr. Denison Rey A. Dalupang, and if you want to catch up on his relentless reporting of the national squad there, all you need is this link. The Filipinos play Chinese Taipei next to cap this window and all you ever need to know about how to watch that game, from tickets to streaming, you can find here.

The Tigresses opened their UAAP campaign with a scintillating upset.  (CONTRIBUTED)

Meanwhile... It's probably starting to get on the nerves of National University's women's sports program: The last time the Lady Bulldogs watched a University of Santo Tomas squad celebrate on the court was when the Tigresses pulled of a title shocker to end NU's dynastic reign of UAAP women's hoops. Well, the Tigresses were celebrating another NU-upset again, this time dealing the Lady Bulldogs a shock opening defeat in volleyball a weekend ago. And as if to prove they are no fluke, the relatively small Tigresses strung up a second straight victory, this time against Casiey Dongallo and the University of the East Lady Warriors   The Tigers, meanwhile, shocked men's volleyball powerhouse and defending champion NU, in their opening match.   The Premier Volleyball League lifted the curtains on its new season with the All-Filipino Conference. Teams trotted out their fresh acquisitions in one of the busiest offseasons the league has ever seen. While it's still too early to determine a trend, here's something that might pique your interest and also help you understand what's happening on the court when teams call out plays. What we're up to next: We will release the nominees for the Inquirer Sports Awards next week! Keep tabs on that. We will also continue running features from Gilas Pilipinas' Hong Kong victory and provide you a little roadmap of Tim Cone's vision. There is also the national team's game against Chinese Taipei coming up. We will also continue our in-depth coverages of the PVL and the UAAP so follow us across all our platforms. Number of the Week: 3 Margin of victory during the "Battle of the Sexes" three-point shootout during the NBA ALl-Star weekend. Steph Curry beat Sabrina Ionescu, 29-26, but needed to make his last four shots to do so.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK “A night like tonight shows a lot of young girls and young boys that if you can shoot, you can shoot. It doesn’t matter if you’re a girl or a boy.” —Sabrina Ionescu, after challenging, and nearly beating, Steph Curry in a three-point shootout contest during the NBA All-Stars.

The answer to our trivia question? 40. If you think you can ace our weekly Friday sports quiz, and if you want more sports updates, join our Viber community.  Buy the Inquirer at newsstands, subscribe to our digital edition, Inquirer Plus, visit our online site and follow us on socials (Twitter: @inquirersports; FB: facebook.com/inquirersports) for more stories and updates—or to send us questions or suggestions of stories you'd want to read. See you next Friday! Francis Francis T. J. Ochoa is the Sports Editor of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. For comments, suggestions and questions, hit him up on Twitter (@ftjochoaINQ).

Is currywurst considered a traditional German dish or an Americanized version of it?

Volker Eichener

Professor at Hochschule Düsseldorf

Studied Political Science & Sociology at Ruhr University Bochum. Graduated 1999.

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Interesting story. The Currywurst was invented by Hertha Heuwer who operated a bratwurst and fast food stand in Berlin-Charlottenburg in September 1949. Hertha’s husband worked with American officers and noticed that they put huge amounts of ketchup on their steaks and told his wife.

Once, on a rainy day, when she had no custumors, Hertha cut a bratwurst in slices and played around with sauces and spices, however without much success. But the butcher Frank Friedrich who delivered bratwursts without casings to Hertha helped her to improve the sauce which finally was made up from tomato paste, bell pepper, paprika powder, spices and especially curry powder. Hence, the wurst was named Currywurst.

In the post-war era, this “exotic” version of traditional bratwurst was a huge success. Hertha’s recipe was immediately imitated by other operators of bratwurst stands and quickly Currywurst was sold all over Germany.

There are variations how to make the sauce. The simplest version is to take just commercial ketchup and curry powder. More elaborate versions use onions, fresh tomatoes and fruit to make the sauce.

The typical Berlin-style Currywurst uses a bratwurst without casing. After the war, casings were in short supply, and Frank Friedrich’s partner had developed a procedure to make sausages without casings. In other parts of Germany, however, ordinary bratwursts with casings are used for Currywurst.

The recipe is simple: Just take a bratwurst, sear or grill it, cut it into pieces and put the sauce on it. Sprinkle with curry powder. Recently, some wurst stand operators have started to add ultra-hot chili sauces. One operator in my hometown boasts that he makes “the world’s hottest Currywurst” because, for his number ten, he uses pure capsaicin. But this is a different story.

So, Currywurst is a kind of fusion. The sausage is traditional German. The curry powder came from England, with roots in Indian masala. The tomato-based sauce was inspired by American ketchup.

Baguio, Benguet forest fires worsened by strong winds

 

By: Kimberlie Quitasol - Correspondent

MOUNTAIN BURNING The dry condition in the Cordillera region has contributed to forest fires that have so far hit more than 200 hectares in Mountain Province and Benguet since last

BAGUIO CITY—Forest fires continued to spread across different areas in this city and nearby Tuba town in Benguet province on Wednesday, threatening residential areas as firefighters struggled to extinguish the flames due to strong winds.

According to the Baguio City Fire Station, a forest fire broke out near an army detachment of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) compound and razed a portion of the nearby mountain in Barangay Loakan.

The fire that hit parts of the mountain terrain beside the PMA area began on Tuesday and was still raging as of Wednesday morning, affecting about 20 hectares.

PMA officials were on alert as to the possibility of the fire reaching the military school’s premises, the Inquirer learned.

Although there were no reported injuries, fire investigators warned residents near the area of the potential danger to properties and lives.

Firefighters from the PMA Fire Station, the nearby Camp John Hay Fire Department and Sunshine Fire Volunteers helped put out the fire.

Residential area

Another incident of forest fire engulfed Mt. Sto. Tomas Forest Reserve in Tuba, sparking concern among residents as the flames were seen approaching their homes in the villages of Camp 4 and Camp 6 on Wednesday.

Firefighters from Baguio and Tuba responded to put out the blaze but authorities have yet to determine if the fire could be immediately contained, citing the possibility of reigniting.

Investigators said they were still trying to determine the cause of the fire.

Residents reported that the intense fire resulted in a widespread layer of ash fallout and a thick haze covering Tuba and this city.

On Feb. 8, a forest fire, lasting for more than 24 hours, also struck Mt. Sto. Tomas within Sitio Cabuyao.

Since last month, more than 200 ha of forested areas in the Cordillera region have been destroyed by fires, data from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in the Cordillera showed.

The BFP also reported at least 13 incidents of forest and grass fires in Mountain Province and in Benguet’s mining town of Itogon since January.

Firefighters have been employing both aerial and ground-based “suppression strategies” to prevent the flames from spreading and causing massive damage.

Abby Clutario explores love's many expressions in new album Lambing

 

Jerry Donato - The Philippine Star 

February 22, 2024 | 12:00am

Singer-songwriter Abby Clutario treats fans and music aficionados to an album titled Lambing under AltG Records. The latter is composed of two originals Laho and Naglalambing and three cover songs that speak about the different facets and forms of love.

Kapuso multi-instrumentalist and singer, Abby Clutario, will drop her first album titled Lambing with AltG Records tomorrow, Feb. 23, on all streaming platforms worldwide.

The concept behind it, as Abby shared in a recent virtual interview, “is very close to us (or to our hearts). That’s love.”

Regarding its title, she added that lambing is one of the many expressions of love, and is associated with being nice and sweet to the significant other or special someone, if one may add.

“When we say in Filipino lambing, maglalambing, palambing naman and try to translate any of it in English, there’s no English word that will encapsulate its meaning,” Abby reflected. “The five songs that are here in the album have all forms of love in them.” So, the two originals and three cover songs are perhaps Abby’s take on lambing (fondness) and love.

“The carrier single is Laho, followed by Naglalambing and our favorite songs, which I released last year, they’re included in it, Chichi Wo Motomete (the “Voltes V” theme song). There’s Tadhana (by Up Dharma Down) and the original theme song of ‘Mulawin,’ Ikaw Nga,” said she.

The songs demonstrate the how-tos of showing love, like when one is shy about it, deals with a feeling of fear, wishes to reconnect with a former lover, or expresses it to a parent.

“So iba-iba at mahuhuli naman nila yun (the expression of love is different and varied, but the listeners will understand each expression) once they listen to the album as a whole,” shared she.

As for composing the originals, Laho and Naglalambing, Abby had music partners and guest artists who helped her put them together. However, she was in charge of the main instrument on each track. It’s a good thing that her previously released covers complement each other and the new singles. They all support the theme of love.

“I wanted to release an album in the love month,” said she. “We, Filipinos, when it comes to love and love songs, we’re really game for it.”

Asked what musical instruments are being highlighted in the songs, Abby answered, “With the cover songs (that I’ve released) before, the chapman stick is highlighted. You will still hear it in Chichi Wo and Tadhana. But for all the other songs, they are mostly keyboard-based, either with a piano sound or a synth sound. I also worked with awesome artists on this album, you will also hear (guitar), especially in Laho. It is a guitar-driven song, meron din kayong maririnig na ganun.”

As a music artist, Abby is wearing different hats — from being a composer, singer to instrumentalist and arranger. She knows that choosing the right set of musical instruments plays a key role in setting the mood of any song.

“When you’re choosing instruments or you’re already choosing instruments to represent your whole song, it’s usually called areglo or arrangement. Yes, I take that into consideration because I’m an arranger myself,” said she.

“When we compose, we already think of, let’s say, ito yung magandang tunog para dyan (this is the good sound for this) or this will complement these instruments.”

Being a multi-faceted talent is something Abby aspires to.

“Yun din yung gusto ko na makilala ako. Kumbaga, I’m a singer-songwriter. I get to play and I can make my own songs, but at the same time, I can support somebody.”

She was referring to another aspect of her music career, which Abby described as the “session world.”

“That’s where I just play keyboards for somebody (or fellow artists) to support them in their own kind of music,” said the singer.

To further introduce Lambing to the public, Abby will embark on an album tour as her publicity team informed this paper. The first stop is at 88 Fryer on Feb. 22, today. Joining her in the musical treat are Plume, Pido, and Charlene Ong as guest performers. She will grace 70s Bistro and 19 East on March 2 and 12, respectively. Abby concludes the tour on March 22 at Tago Jazz Bar.

(For details, visit www.gmanetwork.com.)

Beating the heat: How to survive summer in the Philippines

BY ZEKINAH ELIZE ESPINA

Feb 21, 2024 10:47 AM

  

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Summertime in the Philippines brings more than just fun in the sun; it also brings with it oppressive heat and humidity that can be difficult to cope with.

(Photo by Jhames Pineda)

Everyone needs to stay cool and safe, locals and visitors alike, as temperatures rise and humidity levels soar.

That is why the Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday, Feb. 21, stepped up to ensure the public is well-prepared to navigate the scorching temperatures safely.  One of the recommendations emphasized by the DOH is the avoidance of outdoor activities during the midday sun when temperatures reach their peak intensity.

Recognizing that errands are sometimes unavoidable, the department advises scheduling them during the cooler periods of the day, either in the early morning or late afternoon.

"Keep hydrated! Drink plenty of water and wear lightweight, loose clothing to prevent the body from overheating," stressed the DOH.

However, during extreme heat waves, there's a big risk of getting sick from the heat, especially with something called “heat stroke.” 

Heat stroke signs, symptoms

The DOH outlined the signs and symptoms, including fever exceeding 40 degrees Celsius, flushed and dry skin, and irregular sweating patterns.

Additionally, symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, vomiting, nausea, cramps, or seizures serve as warning signals.

To address these risks, the Health Department provided first aid tips to mitigate the effects of heat stroke.

First aid

Individuals experiencing symptoms are advised to seek refuge in a cool or shaded area promptly. 

Moreover, the department recommended removing clothing that traps heat and applying cold compresses to areas such as the armpits, groin, neck, and back.

In cases where symptoms escalate, seeking immediate medical attention from the nearest primary care provider is strongly advised after administering initial treatment.

With temperatures on the rise, the DOH is urging the public to remain vigilant and adopt proactive measures to safeguard their health and well-being throughout the summer months.

By taking these simple precautions, everyone can stay safe and enjoy all the beauty and fun the Philippines has to offer, even during the hottest months of the year.

Crossovers crush Solar Spikers for first PVL win

BY KRISTEL SATUMBAGA-VILLAR

Feb 21, 2024 01:08 AM

  

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AT A GLANCE

• Chery Tiggo made its title campaign felt with a 25-6, 25-15, 25-15 rout of newcomer Capital1 in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City on Tuesday night, Feb. 20.

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Chery Tiggo made its title campaign felt with a 25-6, 25-15, 25-15 rout of newcomer Capital1 in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City on Tuesday night, Feb. 20.

Chery Tiggo Crossovers open their season on a winning note. (PVL Images)

The Crossovers flexed their might against the jittery Solar Spikers with new recruit Ara Galang leading the all-around charge to claim their first victory and join the Petro Gazz Angels in the winning column.

Galang, who came from the disbanded F2 Logistics, came through with 12 points built on nine kills, two aces and one block. 

“Excited lang talaga to play with my new teammates,” said Galang. “Hindi mahirap yung adjustment pero alam naming marami pa rin kaming kailangan gawin para i-improve yung game namin.”

Chery Tiggo, which hopes to eclipse its fifth-place finish last year, started hot with an 11-2 start and went on to dominate the opening set before encountering stiff resistance from Capital1 in the next two frames.

Mylene Paat took charge of the Crossovers’ offense by pouring all her 11 points on attacks, while skipper Aby Maraño and Ponggay Gaston combined for 11 points.

Jannine Navarro, Sydney Niegos and Patty Orendain tried to lift Capital1 by teaming up for 16 points, but their efforts went futile.